1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable carriers and methods related thereto. More particularly the present invention relates to a portable carrier having a rigid base housing and a cover member, dimensioned to closely conform to an outer peripheral surface of the base that can be used for storing and transporting liquid or chemical supplies safely and conveniently.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known, cleaning supplies such as detergents, upholstery cleaners, glass cleaners, paper towels, and the like are commonly used in domestic and institutional cleaning operations, as well as other settings such as the cleaning of cars, trucks, boats, and recreational vehicles. It is quite common for households and businesses to purchase and store a large number of all types of liquids or powdered household chemical cleansers. Various commercial chemical products are used to clean surfaces, mirrors, countertops, toilet bowls, urinals, furniture, appliances, and other structures. In most cases, the consumer will simply store these products in places which are readily accessible to small children, such as unlocked cabinets, counters and the like. Liquids or powdered chemical cleaners pose a potentially serious poison hazard to an unwary child who cannot comprehend the potential danger in ingesting these harmful products.
It is necessary to carry the cleaning supplies around the building, house or to the vehicle to be cleaned. This is particularly true in institutional or commercial cleaning operations. Cleaning supplies are commonly carried in a piecemeal fashion around a building, house or from a common storage location, such as a storage closet or beneath a kitchen sink. This typically involves several trips and is a considerable inconvenience to the user of the cleaning supplies. Also, it is often the case that the cleaning supplies are not stored within a common location, thereby necessitating that the user locate individual cleaning supplies prior to carrying the cleaning supplies to the appliance or room to be cleaned. In addition, paper towels must be located and carried separately during the cleaning operation. Therefore, merely obtaining the necessary supplies can be a time-consuming and bothersome task. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a single device for transporting and storing cleaning chemical products and other cleaning supplies, such as paper towels.
The prior art portable caddies are useful to some degree for their stated purposes and include means for transporting various cleaning supplies. However, although the prior art has recognized to a limited extent the problems of transporting and storing cleaning supplies, the proposed solutions have to date been ineffective in providing a satisfactory remedy, especially making the harmful cleaning chemicals inaccessible to children.